The 5th Agricultural Competition (JA-ZENCHU Cooperatives) was held online on November 28. Among 45 participating teams from 19 universities from all over Japan our university’s Team Ray from the Yasuda Seminar, Faculty of Economics secured a brilliant victory in practical research.

Team Ray introduced their smartphone application for the promotion of unattended sales location utilization. In the city of Hachioji boasting the highest agricultural production within the area of Tokyo Metropolis, 15% of the harvested vegetables get thrown away. In order to solve this problem and consume those vegetables in the local area, the team has focused on unattended sales. They have presented the trial run results based on more than 600 records, and it has become clear that the number of purchased goods and the frequency of purchase are both growing. Through cooperation with the city of Hachioji, where the university is located, and the local enterprises, the team also introduced their endeavors for practical application.

The screening committee evaluated the team’s efforts with the following: “This proposal is suitable for the present time when food distribution is diversifying, and the idea of connecting food loss with local consumption through DX is great. The implemented fieldwork must have been really difficult for you to undertake under the corona pandemic situation. We wish to express our highest appraisal for all of your hard work.”